Torridon HS Lite Drive Control Module - Technical Manual
Revision 1.0
©Quarch Technology
Page 18 of 28
Controlling the Module
The module can be controlled either by:
Serial ASCII terminal (such as HyperTerminal)
This is normally used with scripted commands to automate a series of tests. The commands
are normally generated by a script or user code (PERL, TCL, C, C# or similar).
Telnet Terminal (Only when connected to an Array Controller). This mode uses exactly the
same commands as the serial ASCII terminal
Serial Command Set
When connected via a serial terminal, the module has a simple command line interface
SCPI Style Commands
These commands are based on the SCPI style control system that is used by many manufacturers of
test instruments. The entire SCPI specification has NOT been implemented but the command
structure will be very familiar to anyone who has used it before.
SCPI commands are NOT case sensitive
SCPI commands are in a hierarchy separated by ‘:’ (LEVel1:LEVel2:LEVel3)
Most words have a short form (e.g. ‘register’ shortens to ‘reg’). This will be documented as
REGister, where the short form is shown in capitals.
Some commands take parameters. These are separated by spaces after the main part of the
command (e.g. “meas:volt:self 3v3?” Obtains the 3v3 self test measurement)
Query commands that return a value all have a ‘?’ on the end
Commands with a preceding ‘*’ are basic control commands, found on all devices
Commands that do not return a particular value will return “OK” or “FAIL”. Unless disabled,
the fail response will also append a text description for the failure if it can be determined.
# [comments]
Any line beginning with a # character is ignored as a comment. This allows commenting of
scripts for use with the module.
*RST
Triggers a reset, the module will behave as if it had just been powered on
*CLR
